3/20/2010

Honeybear in Hibernation

For the past 3 years, I've had the pleasure of playing with a talented group of guys known as Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears. In that time, I've toured the world, played shows with everyone from the New York Dolls to Barack Obama, and performed for huge crowds at festivals (and even on TV). I joined the band just before their first big break (opening for a Spoon tour), and had no idea what I was getting into at the time--every time it seemed like we'd just done the most ridiculous thing possible, something even crazier popped up. They're a fantastic group of human beings, and great musicians as well.

Tonight (3/20/10), at the Austin Music Awards, will be my last show as an official member of the band. Over the years, life, in all of its amazing fortune, has interceded to make it rough for a thirtysomething guy like me to do hard touring with a bunch of whipper snappers like them. They've been awesome about letting me play just the "big shows" (thus, my nickname), but some new commitments in my life are making it harder to do even that. They show no signs of slowing down, and while I hope to still show up for the occasional gig or session, it's time to take my bow. If you're in Austin, I hope you can come see me off.